Liberty University
1-2
Drake
2-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 18 | 12 | 11 | 27 | 68 |
| Drake | 28 | 26 | 14 | 28 | 96 |
Drake Scorches Nets in 96-68 Win Over Lady Flames
11/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Drake's season-high 14 three-pointers sparked the Bulldogs' 96-68 victory over Liberty in a Preseason WNIT consolation contest, Friday at the Knapp Center.
Drake broke the game open with a 16-2 run, spanning the first and second quarters, and never looked back. The defending Missouri Valley Conference champions improved to 2-1 with their 20th consecutive home win. Sammie Bachrodt (18 points, 6 steals) paced five double-digit scorers for the Bulldogs, who are receiving votes in both Top 25 polls.
Drake made as many three-pointers as it had in the first two games combined, while shooting well from the field (53.4 percent, 31-of-58) and the foul line (80 percent, 20-of-25).
Liberty closes its fifth Preseason WNIT appearance at 1-2 despite a strong performance from its starting frontcourt of KK Barbour (season-high 16 points, career high-equaling four steals), Keyen Green (season-high 14 points, 7-of 8 FG) and Kierra Johnson-Graham (season-high 10 points, team-high six rebounds).
The Lady Flames could not match Drake's shooting proficiency, finishing at 41.2 percent (28-of-68) from the field and 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from the free throw line. Liberty was also outrebounded by a 43-32 count during its third road game in eight days to open the 2017-18 campaign.
Liberty shot 64.3 percent (9-of-14) during the first quarter, aided by six points from Green. However, Drake took advantage of the Lady Flames' 10 turnovers, hit four triples and shot 8-of-10 at the foul line to take a 28-18 advantage after the first 10 minutes of play. Bachrodt scored eight of the Bulldogs' first 10 points and finished the quarter with 11 tallies and three steals.
Drake posted the first eight points of the second quarter, extending the home team's overall run to 16-2. Brenni Rose's three-pointer extended the Drake lead to 36-18, 7:55 before halftime. Liberty got no closer than 15 points for the remainder of the half, while the Bulldogs built a pair of 24-point advantages including the halftime score of 54-30.
Bachrodt beat the buzzer with a hoop from the paint, closing out an 18-point, six-steal half for the Bulldogs' junior. She also hit three of her team's nine triples during the first 20 minutes of play.
Green made all five of her first-half field goal attempts for the Lady Flames for 10 points, helping Liberty enjoy a 24-16 advantage inside the paint and shoot 46.7 percent (14-of-30) as a team. Johnson-Graham chipped in six points and four rebounds, but the Lady Flames turned the ball over 14 times and were outrebounded, 21-15, before the intermission.
Liberty slowed down Drake's offensive onslaught in the third quarter, forcing the Bulldogs to miss all seven of their three-point attempts. However, the Lady Flames were unable to chip away at their deficit, shooting 3-of-18 from the field during the period. The score stood at Drake 68, Liberty 41, at the end of three quarters.
The Lady Flames exploded for 27 points in the fourth quarter, paced by Barbour (12 points, three steals). But Drake maintained its advantage by making five more triples during the period, closing out an impressive victory in its first-ever meeting with the Lady Flames.
The free throw line was a key difference in the outcome, as Liberty got there 15 fewer times than its host, shooting 70 percent (7-of-10) on the night.
Drake nearly doubled up Liberty in bench points, 46-24.
Reigning Big South Freshman of the Week Ashtyn Baker contributed eight points, a team-high four assists and three of the Lady Flames' 12 steals, while classmate Bridgette Rettstatt chipped in seven points.
The Bulldogs' other double-figure scorers included Becca Hittner (15 points), Nicole Miller (11 points), Sara Rhine (10 points) and Rose (10 points). Seven different Drake players connected on at least one three-pointer during the contest.
Up Next
Liberty will play its next two games at the UMass Thanksgiving Classic, next Friday and Saturday at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass. The Lady Flames will face Houston Friday at 3 p.m. before taking on host UMass Saturday at 1 p.m. to wrap up Liberty's season-opening five-game road swing.
